 Gary Ashbeck, Jonah House, Prisoner of Conscience |
School of the Americas |
Letter from Gary Ashbeck to Jonah House, Baltimore
December 3, 2003
Hey Y'all,
How are you all doing? Ardeth-Carol? Things are fine here. Mail has been pouring in so I have been busy with that. Alice Budge visited last weekend. She was not able to see Mike. I worry a bit about the other guys. Alice said Ben seemed subdued, but he is rather unique. The other day they brought my mail and had Mike's also. They thought he was in here so I mentioned that we do have the space. I did not even get a facial response. Oh well.
If there is an address label on an envelope they rip it off along with the stamps. It causes a problem with letter responses. I received a card from a Father Joe (Foherlagen?) a Jesuit in the Cincinnati area that says he e mails Susan . Susan do you have an address for him? Could you send it along whenever is easiest for you?
Alice tells me that spiritual books are not allowed. She also says that Ben wanted a book by Dan and does not know how to go about getting it. She will still try. I don't know if you know a way she could order, I don't even know the title. I was not allowed my bible. They claim it is jail policy. However in the courtroom where Bill Q initially made the request they said as long as it was paperback it was fine. It even made it up to the third floor with me and was within a foot of me. Now they claim it is in my property, so I had to get a King James from the jail – the only material available. Spiritual books are reportedly not allowed but you can take a bible study course through fundamentalist churches. Another inmate says that only Christianity is accepted as a religion and if you want other resources they simply are not available, and no one can bring them in for you.
There are also issues with the GED program and treatment. The GED program makes initial claims to pay for the exam then does not. I was wondering if they get grant money for the program. I will ask around. Others are sentenced to drug and alcohol treatment while in jail but do not receive it. Most likely the same old same old, right?
So I am sleeping well, getting along, and trying to keep busy.
I hope everything is going well for the F/R retreat and the other retreat (15 th ). Give everyone my love. I miss you all but, as I tell everyone, I cannot imagine being anywhere else at the moment. There are places I would like to be but I feel that it is better here. Does that sound weird?
Oh thanks for sending all the letters and address stuff out. I really appreciate the support.
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